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Merriam-Webster adds 'alt-right,' 'troll' and 'open carry' to the dictionary

Merriam-Webster added 250 new words and definitions to its online dictionary on Tuesday, including political terms such as "alt-right," "troll" and "open carry."

The 186-year-old dictionary company defines "alt-right" as "a right-wing, primarily online political movement or grouping based in the U.S. whose members reject mainstream conservative politics and espouse extremist beliefs and policies typically centered on ideas of white nationalism."

"Open carry" is described as "the act or practice of carrying a firearm openly in public or the legal right to do so."

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The phrase “dog whistle” has also been given a new political definition: “an expression or statement that has a secondary meaning intended to be understood only by a particular group of people."

Other 2017 additions include “pregame,” which Merriam-Webster defines as a verb to describe "drinking alcohol before an event or activity (such as a party or a night out),” as well as new culinary terms: “froyo,” “sriracha” and “California roll.”

"These terms have shown themselves to be fully established members of the language, some after hanging about on the fringes for decades, and others after proving themselves too useful to ignore in relatively short order," Merriam-Webster explains on its website.

"All have demonstrated significant use in a variety of sources, making them words our readers expect to find in the dictionary."